The present invention relates to a machine for separating meat tissue from bone in a section of meat. The machine is semiautomatic and is of the type where an operator will place a section of meat in proper position on the machine and then manually actuate and operate other mechanisms of the machine to effect an efficient separation of the meat tissue from the bone of the section of meat.
Heretofore, various machines and mechanisms have been proposed for speeding up the process of separating meat tissue from bone while at the same time providing an effective separation of meat tissue from bone with little waste meat tissue left clinging to the bone. Examples of previously proposed machines and mechanisms for ensuring an effective separation of meat from bone and/or for speeding up the process of separating meat tissue from bone are disclosed in the following patents:
United States Patents ______________________________________ 2,798,251 A. LOTT July 9, 1957 3,396,768 SHINJI Aug. 13, 1968 KURIHARA 3,581,336 J.F.HERUBEL June 1, 1971 3,708,828 CAIN, et al. Jan. 9, 1973 ______________________________________
The semiautomatic machine of the present invention provides an advantage over the previously proposed machines in that while utilizing powered mechanisms for speeding up the cutting operation and for feeding the section of meat past a knife blade, the machine also provides for manual control of the feeding of the section of meat past a knife blade whereby an operator can manually maintain the bone of the section of meat closely adjacent the cutting edge of the knife blade while the section of meat is being fed past the knife blade.